As the U.S.

continues its struggle against terrorism, comfort and encouragement come

to Fayette residents from thousands of miles away in a story that spans

56 years.

"We are

with you," writes Aurelio Mastrovito in a cover letter to Fayetteville's

John Shlapak, introducing a progress report from the committee in charge

of the Peace Museum in the tiny town of Manduria in southern Italy.

The museum,

being developed through volunteer labor and private donations, is unique

"the only one like it in all of Italy," states the report, written

Scialpi quotes

Mastrovito, spokesman for the committee: "We have a special solidarity

born in 1943-45 with the U.S.A. and Manduria, especially the veterans

of the 450th Bomb Group who once lived among us."

Mastrovito

was 10 years old when members of the Air Force's 450th, among them Fayetteville's

Shlapak, established a base camp from which they flew bombing runs into

Austria and northern Italy in support of the 5th Army and 8th Army.

Young Aurelio

and other young boys in the town took it upon themselves to keep track

of the bombers leaving and returning, "and quite often not all came

back," writes Scialpi.

Shlapak and

numerous other veterans of the group visited Manduria in 1991 and again

last May. "Some of the group were getting older, and they felt a

camaraderie there. We decided, 'Why don't we go over and see what the

base looks like,'" he said.

The latest

trip had an additional mission, dedication of a children's playground

that was built recently using a $17,000 donation from the 450th Bomber

Group Association.

"It was

like a family reunion," Shlapak said. "They treated us just

like family. It was great."

One of the

ground crew members befriended a family back during the war, and the soldier's

wife often sent clothes for a young daughter of that family, Shlapak said.

When the 450th returned for its visit, the little girl now 60 years old

was there and remembered. "They all remembered," he said.

"The people

are good people," he said.

And viewing

the events of Sept. 11 in light of their memories of the Americans who

lived among them so many years ago, the people of Manduria are outraged.

"Wars

are terrible," writes Simona Scialpi in the report on the museum

progress, "but what those terrorists did in New York and Washington

are crimes against civilians, and for this they should be hunted to the

end!"

Having lived

through the crisis that was WWII, does Shlapak think the U.S. will be

up to the challenge of fighting a very different kind of war?

"I think

we're going to do good," he said. "I've got a lot of faith,

especially in our troops. They're trained to do the job.

"People

worry," he added, "but I don't think they should. It'll get

over."